New York police get new crime-fighting tool: X-ray vision

NEW YORK (AFP) - The New York Police Department (NYPD) already has the long arm of the law. Now, it gets X-ray eyes.

Officers are in the advanced stages of testing a futuristic new weapon in their war against gun-toting residents: a device that can detect the presence of hidden metal from a distance. The device measures terahertz, the natural energy emitted by people and objects.

"If something is obstructing the flow of that radiation, for example a weapon, the device will highlight that object," NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a speech on Thursday.

The boxy machine can be hidden in a vehicle, allowing officers to discreetly scan their target. The device is being seen as a possible alternative to the NYPD's reliance on the controversial tactic of stop-and-frisk, where officers routinely search large numbers of men in high-crime areas.